Doi Inthanon Crossing

First, from the starting point at the Chiang Mai Royal Agricultural Research Centre (Khun Wang), follow the road uphill for a few hundred metres before a dirt road turns off to the right. Leave the dirt road after about 50 metres and follow a narrower path uphill through the strawberry fields for about 600 metres. When you reach the end of the path at the last strawberry field, you pass it on the left and find a narrow path with many small water pipes. Follow this uphill until you reach the main water pipe, and then continue uphill along it to its source. Now the path is clearly visible. Follow it for several hundred metres until you reach a rocky outcrop. Cross this and then go steeply uphill, but not exposed, to the ridge. On the ridge, head south, the path is very wide here.

Just before the final climb up the rocky Pha Ngaem, the actual trail branches off to the right, and is a little difficult to find, and only identifiable by a few snapped branches. Descend the western flank for about 100 metres, and then cross Pha Ngaem at its base before climbing steeply again into an embrasure. If you follow the wide path up Pha Ngaem, you have a beautiful view and a small Buddhist worship site. However, it is not easy to continue, as the ridge is only about 40 cm and extremely exposed, and the south-facing descent is anything but easy.

After bypassing Pha Ngaem, the trail continues along the northern ridge for about 2 km to the summit. The trail is much less well-trodden and finding your way in the 2-metre-high undergrowth is sometimes difficult. Most of the time, broken small twigs or other traces such as branches or a machete in the wood are the only markers. After about 1 km there were traces of a camp and after that find the right way again and not descend the wide.

Shortly before the summit, you bypass the military base and find yourself in the car park where all the tourist groups are dropped off by minivan. The few metres of ascent to the summit are then along wooden planks and not recommended. The descent is along the road and not very spectacular, except for the visit to the two royal pagodas, which cost an entrance fee.